String-adjusting tailpiece for musical instruments



Augo I A. J. OETTINGER STRING ADJUSTING TAILPIECE FOR MUSICAL-INSTRUMENTS Filed Dec. 14. 1923 Patented Aug. 17, 1926.

UNITED STATES AITOLPHJ. OE'ITINGER, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

STRING-ADJUSTING TAILPIECE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application illed December This invention relates to stringed musical instruments of the type that are played by picking the strings with a plectrum or with the finger nails of the hand. The inventionis applicable to banjos, including fivestringed banjos, four-stringed long neck banjos, tenor banjos, banjo mandolins, banjo ukeleles, also to guitars and instruments of the mandolin type, and to other musical instruments utilizing a tail piece more or less similar to those of banjos and mandolins. A principal object of the invention is to provide an instrument of this kind with a tail piece equipped with provision for a secondary micrometer adjustment of the strings individually, and so arranged that such adjustment can be quickly and easily made without shifting the instrument from the position in which it is normally held for playing. The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the distinctive features of novelty will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. v1 is a front view of a four-stringed banjo ukelele embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view with the head of the instrument in section approximately on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial end view from the left in Figure 1, and showing the string adjusting tail piece of my invention;

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view on line 44 of Figure 3; and V Figure 5 is an elevation showing a cover adapted for application to the tail piece, removed.

10 indicates the banjo ukelele which is selected for illustrative purposes to show the application of the invention. This instrument as illustratively shown has four,

strings 11 which are engaged at one end with usual adjusting pins 12. The other ends of the strings carried over the bridge 13 borne by the head 10 of the instrument are engaged with the string adjusting tail piece 14 of my invention. This tail piece is equipped with usual means for clamping the same to the head of the instrument, being for this purpose illustratively shown as having an inturned flange portion 14 extending inward over the rim band 10 of the head, and having an out-turnedflange 14, 1923. Serial no. 680,758. I

14 at its lower extremity engaged with the head of a small pin 15, which is adjustably held in a head 16 secured to, and extending outward from, the head 10 of the instrument. In accordance with my invention the tail piece has pivotally mounted there on, a plurality of spaced apart small arms 17 corresponding in number to the number of strings of the instrument and each bearing a hook 17 at its outer end adapted to engage the end of a string 11. These arms may be pivoted on a pivot pin 18 held in lugs of the tail piece, and each of them has threaded therethrough a small screw '19, having av knurled head 19 at its outer end. The inner ends of these screws are adapted to impinge against the body or back of the tail piece, and thus by turning these screws the strings may be given a secondary micrometer adjustment to tension them with great accuracy after they have been preliminarily adjusted more or less roughly by the ordinary adjusting pins 12. I preferably provide a cover plate 20 adapted to be frictionally engaged over the tail piece as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so as to cover and protect the operating members described, and this tail piece may have a plurality of slots 20 extending upward from the bottom thereof, so as to permit the cover to be slipped over the adjusting screws 19 with the knurled heads 19 extending outward from the cover so as to be conveniently accessible for adjust ment. It is to be noted that by thus providing individual string adjusting means having these spaced apart, knurled heads as operating members, it is practicable and convenient to adjust the strings individually and with the close micrometer adjustment described, without shifting the instrument from playing osition. While I have found the described means for adjusting the strings individually as embodied in the swinging arms 17 and the screws 19 to be practicable and effective for the purpose, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited'to this particular means for string adjustment, which is to be understood as merely typifying any suitable mechanical devices embodying either screws, cams, ears, or like mechanical elements for efecting the individual adjustment of the strings from the tail piece. In these as well as other particulars the present embodiment is to be considered in all respects as head having a pivot pin mounted therein, and a series of individually adjustable arms pivoted alongside each other on said pin, each of said arms hai'ing itted therein intermediate its'length an adjusting screw adapted to bear against the tailpiece for adjusting the arn'uand each of said arms having a hooked extremity to engage a string for the purpose stated.

In testimony whereof, I have. signed 1113; name to this specification.

ADOLPH J. O'ETTINGER. 

